Sparkbrook
| Sparkbrook | |
|---|---|
 Sparkbrook
|
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| Sparkbrook shown within the West Midlands | |
| Population | 32,415 (2011.Ward) |
| • Density | 79.8 per ha |
| OS grid reference | SP087849 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BIRMINGHAM |
| Postcode district | B11 |
| Dialling code | 0121 |
| Police | West Midlands |
| Fire | West Midlands |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Sparkbrook is an inner-city area in south-east Birmingham, England. It is one of the four wards forming the Hall Green formal district within Birmingham City Council.
The area receives its name from Spark Brook, a small stream which flowed south of the city centre. It was later channelled and partially used for a canal.
Sparkbrook ward is represented by one Respect councillor on Birmingham City Council, Shokat Ali and two Labour councillors, Tony Kennedy and Victoria Quinn.
Its former independent councillor, the late Talib Hussain, was elected as a Liberal Democrat but resigned from the party after being sacked from the council's cabinet.
Sparkbrook Ward has adopted a Ward Support Officer with the current holder of the title being Becky Jones.
Project Champion is a project to install a £3m network of 169 Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras to monitor vehicles entering and leaving Sparkbrook and Washwood Heath. Its implementation was frozen in June 2010 amid allegations that the police deliberately misled councillors about its purpose, after it was revealed that it was being funded as an anti-terrorism initiative, rather than for 'reassurance and crime prevention'. The campaign was spearheaded by a local activist called Steve Jolly, who 'wrote an article for a local magazine, started a petition and lobbied MPs and councillors to denounce the spy-cam scheme', he was proactive in contacting the media, it was Steve Jolly who made Paul Lewis of The Guardian aware of this issue. When Paul Lewis wrote his article, it sparked national and international debate on Project Champion, this then led to massive public resistance to Project Champion, which eventually led to it being stopped. West Midlands Police were forced into making a humiliating apology. Chief Constable Simms said: "I am sorry that we got such an important issue so wrong and deeply sorry that it has had such a negative impact on our communities."
Many of the churches within Sparkbrook were constructed in the late 19th century and early 20th century. One of the most prominent churches in the area is St Agatha's Church on the Stratford Road, consecrated in 1901. It is a Grade I listed building.
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